Patricia Abbott (pattinase): Sex

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Sex

Sometimes when I read a sex scene in a novel, I begin to think "ah, that's what sex is like for that writer." That's what he/she thinks is kinky or hot or repressed or whatever. It's my telescope at their window.
Does a depiction of sex reveal a lot about a writer or is it just as imagined as a description of anything else? Or is it perhaps based on what the writer has read in other books? Somehow I feel like a writer brings his own experience with him/her here more with sex scenes than with other issues.
My "issue" here is that I just wrote a novel about a woman obsessed with sex and yet there is very little description of such sex. I know David from my writing group is going to nail me for this as soon as he reads it. Writing about sex seems too revelatory to me. You can't help but think "oh, does she really think she invented that. Does she really think no one does that every Tuesday night."
I'd rather just shut the door like they did in movies of the forties and fifites. You know what's going on behind the door, right? I don't need to tell you.

14 comments:

Patrick Shawn Bagley said...: The sex scenes in some books make me feel like a voyeur.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...; 1:38 PM
Megan said...: Sometimes detailed sex scenes are appropriate. If it's well-written, it shouldn't tell the reader any more about the author than any other character interactions in the book.

That said, there are an awful lot of bad sex scenes, howlingly funny or just positioned to bring the book to a grinding halt for a few pages.

In your case...I haven't read the draft, but I will say that I have no trouble picturing a book about a sex-obsessed woman where we never actually see any details on stage. The brain's the most important sex organ, after all.; 1:58 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: I feel like that even reading my own stuff.
Hey, your conf. looked great. I miss that intensity of purpose.; 1:59 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Thanks, Megan. That really gives me comfort.; 1:59 PM
Sandra Ruttan said...: Patti, if you want a chuckle, Unfortunately, the one article I was quoting from is now down...

And considering the topic of the day, there must be something in the water.; 2:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Well, as someone who has published one sexually explicit story, I basically had behaviors in play that I don't or at least haven't engage in...meanwhile, my descriptions were meant to be as prosaic as possible, to fit the relatively humdrum nature of sexuality for the characters (it's possible to wonder whether the characters in "Bonobos" are bonobos who somehow are living in contemporary US suburbia, or if they are humans who for some reason are living in bonobo-esque times).

Well, I thought it funny at the time. My parents were less amused. But, somehow, I soldier on.

Screw (ahem) up your courage, I'd suggest...; 2:31 PM
Jim Winter said...: If my sex life was as interesting and varied as Nick Kepler's, I'd never leave the house.

Then again, we're talking about a character who thinks with the wrong organ.; 2:49 PM
Stephen Blackmoore said...: A sex scene is just a scene. If it doesn't work as a scene, moving the plot along, showing character, creating and resolving a conflict, there's no point in having it. If it does do those things and is appropriate for the story and the characters then it can be in there. It's kind of like those actresses that say they'd do a nude scene if it was good for the story. Some scenes are not only good for the story, but necessary. Only you can make that distinction in your work and decide if it should be there or not.

And if you're not doing it just because it's uncomfortable, you might want to look at that.

As to sex scenes being a window on the writer's soul, I think you're giving it more significance than it warrants. Might as well say it shows how the author feels about men/women/kumquats/violence/non-violence/fill-in-the-blank. And it does, to an extent. I don't think we can ever filter so much of ourselves away from the story that our attitudes don't bleed through somehow.

But in thinking that a sex scene shows a clear view of the author's sex life or attitudes on it is a bit much. What if you're writing from a gay man's point of view and you're basing it on research and conversations you had with gay men to get a sense of what it's like? How much of that scene is your attitudes on it and how much is taken from your research?; 2:52 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Sandra-Several years ago I attended Breadloaf Writers's Conference and found Steve Almond to be an expert on almost everthing--at least that's what he told me. I had just finished writing this when I read your blog. And my choice, Barry Eisler although I've never seen him in the flesh.; 4:02 PM
Sandra Ruttan said...: Patti, Barry Eisler is not only easy on the eyes, he's a good hugger.

I am so dead for saying that...; 5:28 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Ha! I bet he'd say the same about you.; 5:50 PM
Josephine Damian said...: I read that MJ Rose was asked if she actually performed some of the intricate and lurid sex acts depicted in her sex-therapist-turned-sleuth books, and she answered: Yes.

While that may be the case, there sure are a lot of perverts and weirdos who might fixate on an author in ways that are unhealthy - IMO, write all the sex scenes you like, but leave it to the reader's imagination if they're based on the writer's experience.

Caution is the word.; 11:52 AM
Anonymous said...: Not much sex in my stuff. What little there is tends to shed some light on the characters involved or move the story along.

B.T.W.--You asked about this story yesterday. The third place finish gives me a grand total of $60 in writing earnings for the year,lol.

http://clarityofnight.blogspot.com/2007/08/entry-77.html

The story had to be inspired by a photograph titled "HALO" The picture is of a wooded area with thin trees and a shaft of broken sunlight illuminating a piece of bare ground. 250 word maximum.
John McAuley; 12:03 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Cautions is always wise.
John-Was the story printed? I'd love to read it.; 7:08 PM